The present invention relates to a friction tab for use with a measuring tape, in particular the friction tab is for use with a tape rule blade catch, for improving the frictional qualities and the operational ease of any conventional tape rule measure. The friction tab is a removable sheath or cover which may be inserted and removed from over the blade catch depending from the leading edge of the tape measure blade. The friction tab defines an inner pocket from wherein the blade catch may be inserted and removed whenever necessary. Also, a protrusion is provided within the inner pocket of the tab to engage with an opening or detent traditionally provided in the face of the blade catch of a conventional tape measure, and a finger tab may be provided on an outer portion of the tab to facilitate the insertion and removal of the tab from the blade catch.
It is well known in the construction industry, as well as by most persons who have ever used a builders type retractable tape measure, that at the lead end of a substantially flexible, and bendable measuring rule blade, a catch, clip or stop is provided to engage a desired edge of a surface to be measured. The catch depends from the lead end of the blade at a substantially 90xc2x0 angle so as to facilitate engagement of the blade catch on an edge of a particular surface or object to be measured with the tape rule. It is well known in the art that a blade catch is usually made of metal or plastic and fastened to the lead end of the tape blade by a series of rivets. The tape catch is generally a relatively small 90xc2x0 piece of stamped metal having one of the 90xc2x0 legs riveted to the blade end such that the free end of the catch depends at a 90xc2x0 angle from the substantially planar surface defined by the measuring blade.
It is also well known that during use of conventional retractable tape measuring devices, substantial difficulty can arise in maintaining the blade catch over a desired edge of a surface particularly due to the substantially smooth frictionless surface of the metal or plastic blade catch and the object being measured. For instance, in certain situations, the blade catch is hooked over the edge of a substantially smooth planar surface and the initially retracted tape rule blade is pulled out and the further the tape body is pulled from the lead end, i.e. where the blade catch engages the edge of the object being measured, the less control the operator has over continued relative positioning of the blade catch on the surface edge. In certain situations a substantial dislocating, force on the tape blade itself can cause the catch to easily slid off or disengage from the edge around which it is hooked and therefore the tape measure can recoil and lose its ability to provide an adequate measurement.
In certain other situations, for instance measuring the length of a wall between two corners of a room, when the front end of the blade catch is pressed into one corner, the front end of the blade catch may have difficulty remaining in the corner if any external dislocating forces are inadvertently applied which would cause the blade catch to slip relative to the surface on which it is engaged. In such cases the catch may slip or be pushed forward and due to the flexibility of the tape measuring blade, the blade is bent or sent askew relative to the length being measured and thus an inaccurate measurement may obtained.
The object of the present invention is to provide a removable friction tab for the blade catch of a retractable tape measure which can be easily attached and detached from the blade catch by an operator.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a friction tab which, once attached to the blade catch of the measuring tape, engages the blade catch so that conventional and ordinary use will not detach the friction tab from the blade catch.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an economical and easy to produce friction tab which assists the user of a conventional tape measure in maintaining the blade catch on the edge of a object or surface being measured.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide the friction tab with sufficient frictional engagement with the blade catch as well as a detent for engaging with conventional detent holes in the blade catch of the measuring tape.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blade catch made of a resilient material and having a surface texture such that it provides substantial frictional engagement with the edge of any surface being measured.
The present invention relates to an improved tape measure having an improved friction tab or clip on an end of the tape measure blade. The friction tab is provided with an outer coating of a substantially soft, resilient and pliant material generally a soft, non-skid material, e.g. an elastomeric material, such as rubber or other similar non-skid material. The friction tab is advantageously removably mounted to the blade catch by appropriately molding an inner pocket which frictionally engages the blade catch directly. A protrusion may also be provided in the inner pocket which engages at least an aperture through the blade catch of the measuring tape.
The soft skid resistant material of the friction tab prevents the tape measure blade catch from slipping off an edge of the object used to hold the blade catch during measurement and the soft nature of the material prevents any harm to the surface or edge of the object. The construction of the friction tab and the molding method used to produce it are cost efficient and effective in producing an easy to use inexpensive product.
Additional advantages and other features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.